Bear Creek remains below flood stage after storm brings heavy rains to Merced area
After a storm brought heavy rains to Merced County and the surrounding areas on Tuesday, forecasters expect drier weather through the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.
Some parts of the county recorded up to 1.3 inches of rain over the past 48 hours after heavy rains moved through the area Tuesday afternoon, according to meteorologist Jim Brusda at the National Weather Service San Joaquin Valley office in Hanford.
Brusda said areas east of Highway 99 recorded about 1 to 1.3 inches of rain while areas west of Highway 99 recorded about one-half to 1 inch of rain over the past 48 hours. Brusda said one area east of Merced recorded about 1.87 inches of rain over the past 48 hours.
A thunderstorm which blew through parts of Merced County on Tuesday evening resulted in heavy rains with one area near Merced recording about 0.86 inches of rainfall over a 30-minute period, according to Brusda.
Brusda said the Los Banos area saw the least amount of rainfall over the past 48 hours with about 0.5 inches recorded, with some areas seeing up to 0.65 inches.
Bear Creek remained below flood stage Wednesday morning after peaking just below 21 feet. According to Brusda, the latest readings showed the creek to be at about 19 feet with forecasters expecting the level to drop.
City lifts evacuation warnings
At midday Wednesday, the city of Merced removed evacuation warnings for areas 1A, 1B, 2, and 13 — areas most at risk of Bear Creek flooding.
City Public Information Officer Jennifer Flachman said in a release that officials still urge residents to remain cautious around waterways, walking paths, and flooded streets. “Residents should continue to avoid all waterways and walkways. Creek banks and walking paths are unstable. Repair efforts will take time. The City will announce when using walking and bike paths is safe.”
Also, Flachman said, localized flooding has resulted in increased pothole activity. The Public Works Department continues to address issues as they arise.
Out of an abundance of caution and in preparation for future weather events, flood-fighting walls and materials will remain in place on North West Bear Creek Drive.
Evacuation warning lifted for Planada, Le Grand
The evacuation warning for the east-side communities of Planada and Le Grand was lifted Wednesday, too — welcome news particularly for Planada residents still recovering from flooding after January storms.
Stevinson area still a flood concern
Brusda with the weather service said, “The one area we do have a flood warning out for is the Merced River.”
The river was last recorded to be just below the flood stage of 71 feet in Stevinson, with forecasters expecting the level to rise above flood stage to about 71.5 feet Wednesday, according to Brusda.
“We’re not expecting it to be as bad as it looked like early in the week,” Brusda said.
Mariposa rainfall totals
The Mariposa area saw about 2-3 inches of rain over the past 48 hours with some isolated mountain areas seeing up to 4 inches. Brusda said one mountain peak in Yosemite recorded up to 5 inches of precipitation.
Brusda said the latest predictions show relatively dry conditions for the Merced and Mariposa areas through the rest of the week with the next precipitation event possibly moving through the area Sunday and into Monday morning.
That precipitation event could result in lower elevations seeing about 0.5-1 inch of rain over the span of about 48 to 60 hours. Brusda said that even though that amount is expected to fall over a greater period of time, the extra rains have the potential to cause additional problems as the ground is saturated from recent storms.
Highway closures
Some highways in Merced and Mariposa counties remained closed Wednesday due to recent storms, according to the California Department of Transportation.. A section of Highway 59 south of the city of Merced was closed from West Dickenson Ferry Road and East Mission Avenue to McNamara Road due to flooding near Mariposa Creek. There is no estimated time for when the road will open, according to Caltrans.
In Mariposa County, a section of Highway 140 from Foresta Road to El Portal Road remained closed for slide removal. Highway 140 from the Bug Hostel to Cedar Lodge is closed for slope inspection and work while eastbound Highway 140 remains closed at the Yosemite National Park boundary for snow removal.
One-way traffic control remains in place on Highway 49 at Bagby Vista Point for slide removal. Caltrans said there is no estimated time for when the roads will open.
